simple wedding style

I’m still swooning from the decor at this wedding. It’s definitely the prettiest set up I’ve ever seen at the Oregon Golf Club. Here’s some of the details straight from Amanda’s mom, who oversaw the details of this lovely event.

First, they replaced the black rear wall pipe and drape with white drape and an overlay of sheer organza. Small pink uplights gave the organza a barely-there tint that made everything (and everyone) in the room look stunning. Swan Island Dahlias did a magnificent job with the flowers. I heard that over 7000 peonies went in to this scrumptious look. The centerpieces, composed solely of peonies, were a simple contrast to the tall arrangements, which looked like they had roses, gladiola, stock and other yummy stuff in addition to peonies and candles.

Here’s a secret about cakes: Lamb’s Thriftway. Don’t tell anyone. It’s the insider secret to save you a bit on your reception. They can make just about any style of cake you can dream up. They can do sleek and modern, bright and vidid, polly-esque and cheeky, and of course, lush and traditional. And will probably cost you a third of what the top drawer wedding bakeries charge.

Other details that made this party pretty: silver chargers under white plates, white chair covers fastened with a single peony blossom, twinkle lights to set the mood, votives sprinkled on the table tops, and small bouquets of flowers as curtain tie-backs on the tent walls. Maybe you’ll think pink for your reception?

Editing is the silent hero of good wedding photography. Shooting gets all the glory, but after the event, it’s editing that makes or breaks a photographer.

We shoot somewhere around 2000 frames at each wedding we photograph. Each monday, we spend the entire day editing a single wedding that we shot the weekend before. Very carefully, we look at each image we captured and make decisions about what should be included–and what should be excluded. A good edit elevates the level of photography–and helps the bride and groom better appreciate the images as a collection. I can’t understand why some photographers simply shoot and deliver all the frames: editing gives the photographer the opportunity to really express a point of view.

Here’s an example. The first one is the shot you’d expect.

And this one is the one we love.

It’s back and forth when we edit together. Our conversation sounds pretty much like this:

Theresa: Why did you take this one out? This one shows how pretty the back of her dress is.

John: Are you kidding?  The light is so much better in the other one. You can see the dress and her sister is in the background.

Or here’s another one:

John: Why did you take this one out? I thought it was a great moment.

Theresa: It is a nice moment, but that’s the wedding planner’s assistant.

John tends to edit for composition, technical aspects and evaluates how he was able to interpret that moment. He’s looking for that certain something that is elusive. I tend to edit for continuity, making sure we’re representing important people, the beatiful details that might not be obvious. We like the chemistry of editing together.

I admit I had the wrong impression of the Church at Mt Angel. As we were driving south towards Salem, I was expecting a rustic church in the country. John and I were both astounded at the sheer beauty of St Mary’s. If not for Amanda and Wayne, we would have never known about this glorious cathedral.

A few days before the wedding, Amanda shared a story about her grandmother (great grandmother?)Apparently, Amanda’s Gram was also married at this very same church, two generations ago. At some point during the reception, the groomsmen kidnapped the blushing bride and held her hostage a few blocks away at “Tiny’s Tavern”. It fell to the then-bridegroom to locate and rescue his new bride at the beer joint on Main St. We stopped off to commemorate that bit of history with a photo at Tiny’s. (They didn’t however, pop in for some suds.)

So Amanda and Wayne, here’s a few of our favs from the day. There’s lots more we can’t wait to share with you. Thanks for being such a sport in the field by the barn. By the way, that snake was a LOT bigger than I admitted…

To see a slideshow of our favorite photos, click here.

To see all the photos from their wedding day, click here.

This time of year, I hear that many brides are planning fall or winter weddings. Thinking ahead to November or December, I can’t imagine anything more romantic than red as a color inspiration. Here’s some pics from a late fall/early winter wedding.  Besides the romance of it, there are other good reasons to choose red as a color theme for a winter wedding. Classic red roses are quite available all winter long. Also, a little red goes a long way and small touches will have a big impact. For example: consider rose petals scattered on white linen, a single red blossom tucked behind a chingon, ‘maids in basic black cocktail dresses accented with red shoes. Dramatic.

I was bored last night so I googled John’s name just to see what came up. Surprise! I discovered that one of his images from 2007 won a WPJA award at the end of last year. And we never even knew it…. Here’s the photo and a link to the WJPA website.

It’s a first for us that our favorites from a wedding just happen to be black and white. (don’t worry, Scott and Melissa, there are scads of color images in your set.) Based on the huge thunder and lightning in the evening, I can’t believe how lucky we were to be treated to a rainless morning and the gorgeous sunshine right after your wedding. (you must have an “in” with someone very powerful…..)

p.s. here’s proof that there’s lovely color from your day. stay tuned for more….

Maybe you’re planning an autumn wedding. For me, there’s no better time of year than September or October in Portland. There’s that one morning in September when you first feel that crispness in the air. At once exhilarating and melancholy–it reminds me that our part of the world is moving away from the sun–but also that we’ll have at least a month of perfect, perfect weather. Here’s some colors that look right to me for that time of year.

This morning we spent some time with Chelsea Fuss, shooting some floral still life ideas that she pulled together. Chelsea is a terrifically talented florist and event designer. She’s also the author of {frolic}, which is the grooviest design blog. I like to dip in when I’m feeling soggy. Her light, bright aesthetic is an antidote on a gloomy Portland morning. Here’s a still life with vintage wallpaper.

In the latest issue of Portland Bride & Groom, John was quizzed about wedding photography for the Advice column, “What Portland’s wedding experts want you to know”. Here’s some tidbits from his section of the article.

What makes your work unique? My style is more editorial, in that I look for the story to be told at each wedding. I don’t go in with a preconceived idea about the wedding.

What advice do you have for couples on a budget? I’d suggest that they invest in a better photographer for fewer hours, versus a lesser photographer for the entire day. That said, the most important thing is finding someone whose style is a perfect fit.

What questions do couples never ask you that you wish they would? They’d ask what they can do to help me get better pictures. I’d tell them to relax, ignore me, and just be present for each other. That’s what ultimately shows up in the photos.

What should couples understand about the costs of working with you? We don’t just hand over a disc of images after the event. We spend at least 30 hours in post-production, designing and producing gorgeous albums that the client really loves.

What should people understand about what you do? I want my photos to be beautiful and natural and interesting. Achieving any one of those things is easy. Getting all three in one shot is hard.

What kind of couples do you like to work with? My ideal clients are self-confident and they are comfortable with themselves. They understand that it’s my goal to capture them just as they are.

I’ve been mulling over this entry for a long time. For most brides, choosing a wedding dress is the first and sometimes, the most thrilling part of planning her wedding. Even the most pragmatic bride has probably envisioned herself in the dress of her dreams.

As photographers, part of our job is to really look at people. I’ve noticed that some brides really seem calm and comfortable on their wedding day–others not so much. Being comfortable in her wedding dress seems to play a pretty big role on how a bride looks in her photos. It’s hard to look radiant when you are constantly tugging up the top of your 12 pound strapless dress.

Of course, the tone of your wedding ceremony and the formality of your venue should play the largest role in what kind of dress to wear. For example, you wouldn’t want to wear a long beaded train at your simple beach ceremony. Likewise, you’d probably feel under dressed in a chiffon slip dress at a Catholic church. Beyond matching the style of your dress to the tone of your event, I think there might be a couple more strategies to help you find the perfect dress.

If you are busty

you’ll probably want to wear a bra. A deep V-neck keeps a dress like this from looking too covered up. Likewise, a halter style dress can look plenty bare, while still allowing you to wear a supportive and pretty halter style bra.

Consider strapless if

you are pretty darn thin and your arms and shoulders are fabulous. To stay put, the bodice of a strapless gown needs to be snug, snug, snug. Even the skinniest girl can find herself with some poochy bits near the armpits and back. If you are soft and squishy like me, think about something with straps for a smoother look.

Strapless alternatives

There’s a reason strapless gowns are so popular–they are so pretty. But let’s say you refuse to be tugging on your top all day long. Here’s a couple examples of dresses that are near to strapless. The advantage is that you’ll look bare and pretty, without all the structure of a strapless bodice.

If you’re hippy

And really, lots of us are. Two great shapes for your figure are A-line and Empire. Both of these silhouettes will glide over your middle parts and make your hips and thighs virtually disappear. Consider an A-Line if your waist is small, and Empire if not. Each of these examples above are strapless, but you’ll find A-line and Empire waisted dresses in a large number of styles.

Focus on shoulders or back

Let’s say your best features are your shoulders or your back. Here’s a few other dresses that look stylish, soft and very feminine. The dress on the right would be a great choice if you were on the flat chested side–the ruching adds a little extra oomph in the bust area. The dress on the left would be perfectly suited to a small chested girl would can go braless or for a b-cup with some stick on silicon cups.

And if you’ve got a rockin’ bod

Lucky girl! Or maybe you’ve been working out like crazy. Whatever reason: this is the va-va-va-voom dress. On some girls, the mermaid cut looks demure. On other girls, it can look super sensual. Some versions have a train, which, when bustled, make the dress even more spectacular.